Web2.0 Applications: Are they all making impact?

Its Web2.0 era, and many of us know how a web 2.o site would look like. We are also developing web 2.0 sites, especially Social networking sites, though we still have no clarity on Web2.0 impact in business. But everybody wants to make it. We get at least 2 requests per week for Social networking application development in Web 2.0 mash ups which are already aplenty in the market. Due to the recent popularity it received, venture capitalists pour money over such applications, and they get one for them with a “BETA” tag under their logo. 🙂

I recently found few directories with a list of web2.0 sites. I was wondering what is the need for this huge list? Are they going to be used by people? How many of us are registered with more than 3 or 4 social networking sites? While I appreciate specific group based social networking sites, what is the need for 200 similar social networking sites for one community? Is that not looking potentiality waste of money. After investing few thousands of dollars what will happen if the site is not promoted due to the fear of its competition it already has? What market can the site catch? 20 registered users in 2 years? How many users will come back to the site after 2-3 visitors?

Here is a list of diretories which has 100s of web2.0 based sites, under different categories. Are they worth visiting and registering?

http://web2.econsultant.com/

http://www.go2web20.net/

http://www.digfoot.com/

I do not say there should be no competition. But uniqueness is needed for any web2.0. Many of them are offering free services, and that can not be the only reason for their success. I beleive the following points should be considered by anyone who wants to develop a Web2.0 application.

1. Does the market or the society need this application?

2. Does the site going to make impact in the market or the society?

3. Can I make money out of this site and this is not just my hobby?

4. Am I offering unique features that will attract used in my web2.0 site?

5. Am I NOT wasting my (or my VC’s) money by making Just another web2.o site?

6. Do I have enough funds to market the site heavily and to overtake my competition?

7. This is not just a trial I want to make since I have few thousand excess money in my Bank A/C, Right?

If you say even single “NO!, you should really think about your stratagy.

Yes your true, most of them build sites without proper strategies / plan and not thinking about social benefit and some just think to generate revenue by G adsense or Y marketing 🙂

Finally they get an empty vessel 😀 compared to investment and time

On other side some do really good, unique concepts like linkedin, orkut and so on.

But the fact is web promoters and bloggers has advantage over unique community and non-unique community, they can register with their business / site and get some amount of visitors or leads from the community with out much strain 😉